Todd Stinehart and Tommy Belmer are the drivers of the Alive And Running Modifieds at Super Nationals.
Alive And Running was founded by Belmer’s brother Troy of Waterloo and Ryan Nesbit of Ankeny. Both grew up in Dunkerton where they lost a high school friend to suicide in 1991.
“We started it in 2010 to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention,” Troy Belmer said Thursday morning. “We’ve had a ton of people come down and take pictures of the cars and share stories. The biggest thing we try to do is drive home the fact that you never know who’s hurting. There is so much stigma attached to mental illness.”
While September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Alive And Running hosts a number of events throughout the year, notably a 5K run/walk in Dunkerton over Father’s Day Weekend. More than 1,000 people from across the country participate in the annual 5K.
Alive And Running also started a support group that meets in Waverly once a month.
More information is available at the www.aliveandrunningiowa.com website and on Facebook.